4 Cheese Mac and Cheese with Honey Pepper Chicken

• Meat

  • 6 slices Bacon, thick cut
  • 1 lb Chicken

• Produce

  • 1 Anaheim pepper
  • 3/4 tsp Basil, dried
  • 3 cloves Garlic
  • 1 1/2 tbsp Garlic powder
  • 1/2 tsp Ginger, dried
  • 1 Lemon, Juice of
  • 1 1/2 tbsp Onion powder
  • 1/2 tsp Oregano, dried
  • 1 Parsley, fresh
  • 1/2 tsp Thyme, dried

• Condiments

  • 3/4 cup Honey
  • 1 1/2 tbsp Mustard, dry
  • 3 tbsp Soy sauce

• Baking & Spices

  • 1 1/8 tbsp Black pepper
  • 1 Black pepper
  • 1/4 cup Brown sugar
  • 1/4 tsp Cayenne pepper
  • 1/2 tbsp Celery seed
  • 2 3/16 cups Flour
  • 1 1/2 tbsp Kosher salt
  • 3 tbsp Paprika
  • 1 tbsp Seasoned salt

• Oils & Vinegars

  • 4 tbsp Apple cider vinegar

• Drinks

  • 1/4 cup Pineapple juice

• Dairy

  • 4 1/2 tbsp stick butter
  • 1/2 cup Asiago cheese
  • 2 cups Buttermilk
  • 2 cups Heavy cream
  • 3/4 cup Mozzarella cheese
  • 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, grated
  • 1/2 cup Romano cheese

Found on thechunkychef.com

Description

Directions

• BACON:
• Cook bacon in your preferred method, and set aside to cool.
• SEASONED FLOUR:
• Add all ingredients to a large resealable plastic bag and shake to combine.
• HONEY PEPPER SAUCE:
• Add all ingredients to a saucepan and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to LOW and simmer for 20 minutes, or until thickened slightly. Set aside to cool a bit.
• FRIED CHICKEN:
• Place chicken tenders in a large bowl and pour buttermilk into bowl. Turn chicken to coat each piece in buttermilk.
• Let marinate while you prepare other things.
• Add oil to large heavy bottomed pot and heat to 350 degrees F.
• Shake excess buttermilk from chicken tender, then drop into the bag with the seasoned flour.
• Shake gently to coat in flour. Repeat with remaining chicken tenders.
• Add tenders, 2-3 at a time, to the hot oil and fry for several minutes per side, until dark golden brown and cooked through.
• Remove from the oil and place on a wire cooling rack (with paper towels laying underneath to catch the excess grease). Repeat with remaining chicken.
• 4 CHEESE SAUCE AND PASTA:
• While chicken is frying, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.
• Add pasta and cook until al dente (according to package directions).
• Drain pasta and drizzle with a bit of olive oil.
• While pasta water is coming up to a boil, add butter to a saucepan and melt over MED-LOW heat.
• Add garlic and diced pepper to the pan and saute for 2 minutes, until softened.
• Add in flour and whisk to combine. Mixture will resemble very wet sand.
• Pour in heavy cream while whisking, and whisk often for 5 minutes, or until thickened.
• Sauce should coat the back of a spoon.
• Add in cheeses, one at a time, and stir to melt.
• Season with pepper and basil and stir to combine.
• Toss cooked pasta with cheese sauce and add to serving bowl.
• Toss fried chicken tenders with some of the honey pepper sauce, and place several chicken tenders on top of the mac and cheese.
• Sprinkle with crumbled bacon, minced fresh parsley, and an optional drizzle of the honey pepper sauce.
• Enjoy!

Nutrition